A study from Denmark confirms the connection between the mind and the body. Here is how to use it during your next workout.
A Danish study confirmed that the more you focus on the muscle you work on, the more active muscle fibers.
“THE MIND HAS A GREATER INFLUENCE ON OUR BODY THAN WE THINK,” SAYS RESEARCHER LARS ANDERSON.
Here’s why your mental workload affects your physical workload: If your mind is busy thinking about due dates, bills, or the long line for the bench press, past research has found that your brain doesn’t have all the resources you need to send messages to your muscles. That means you may be doing reps, but not achieving as much of your training as you actually could.
The next time you are doing your routine, think that the muscle works as hard as you move it. Focus on the contraction of that part of your body as you put the weight on and off, and how strong you feel while doing it.
This method works especially well with exercises that isolate muscle and focus on a single muscle group, such as curls, lateral raises, and calf raises.